West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1887-09-01
hee that thou hast eomtorted my poor


70 comfort. Your son had just graduated
! from school or college anl was going into
business, and tho Lord took him. Or your
daughter had just graduated from the young
/ ladies' seminary and you thought she was
going to be a useful woman and of long life;
/ but the Lord took her and you were tempted
\ 70 say: "All this culture OF twenty years for
nothingW Or the little child came home
\ from school with the hot fever that stopped
not for the agonized prayer or for the skill
/ tul physician, and the little child was taken
/ Or the babe was lifted out of your arms by
some quick epidemic and you stood wonder
ing why God ever gave you that child at all.
u 80 soon he was TO take IL away And yet
you are not repining, you are not fretful, you
are not fighting against God.
I What has enabled you 10 stand all the
i trialf oh you say, 81 took the medicine
that God gave my sick soul. In my distress
\ L threw myself at the feet Of "A sympathizing
/ God, and when was too weak 10 pray or 10
! look up, he breathed into me n peace that
/ think must be the foretaste Of that Heaven
where there IS neither tear, nor n farewell,
nor grave" Come, all We who have been
out TO the grave to weep there-come, all We
comforted souls, get up off your knees. Is
there no power I'M this Gospel to soothe the
hearth Is there no power in this religion to
I quiet the worst paroxysm of grief There
\ comes up an answer from cOmfoTted widow
hood and orphanage and childlessness, say
ing: Aye, aye, we are witnesses!n
Again, remark that we are witnesses OF
the tact that religion has power TO give com
posure in the last moment. / shall never for
get the first time / confronted death We
went across the cornfields in the country 1
was led by my fathers hand and we came TO
the farm house were the bereavement had
come, and we saw the crowd OF wagons and
carriages; but there was one carriage that
especially attracted my boyish attention, and
II lY.d black plumcs said: WHATS thati
what IS thati Why those black tassels at tho
top| and after it was explained 10 me, was
lifted up To look upon the bright face of an
aged Christian woman, who three days before
had parted in triumph. The whole scene
made an impression L never forgot.
In our sermons and in our lay exhortations
we are very apt, when We want TO bring illus
trations OF dying triumph, 10 90 back 10 some
distinguished personage-to "A ohm Knox or n
Harriet Newell But want you for wit
nesses.
want TO knew if you have ever seen any
hing TO make you believe that the religion of
Chris. can give composure in the final hour
Now, IN the courts, attorney, jury and Judge
Will never admit mere hearsay. They de.
mand that the witness must have seen with
his own eyes, or heard with his own ears and
so / am critical in my examination of you
now, and | want TO know whether you have
seen or heard anything that makes you be-
lieve that the religion of Christ gives comfort
in the final hour
'Oh, yes" you say, 81 saw my father and
mother depart. There was great difference
IN their deathbeds. Standing by the one we
felt more generation. BY the other there was
more tenderness Before the one you bowed
perhaps in awe. In the other case YOU felt as
AZ you would like to go along with her. How
did they feel in that last hoIrf How did they
seem TO acts Were they very much fright
enedi Did they take hold of this world with
both hands as though they did not want to
give 1t upf "Oh, no." you say, mo, remem-
Der rs though IL were yesterday; she had n
kind word Tor us ALL and there were a few
mementoes distributed among the children,
and then she told us how kind we must be to |
our father in his loneliness aud tnen she !
IDOlDN ul "A chi la IN,
a cradle
What made her so composedi Natural
couiagef NO., you say; mother was very I
nervous When the carriage inclined 10 tho !
side OF the road she would cry out She was |
always rather weakly What then. gave /
her composuref Was it because she did not /
care much for you and the pang of parting /
was not great! CON- you say, ''she showerd |
upon n a wealth of affection; no mother ever !
loved her children more than mother loved |
us. She showed 1t by the way she nursed us |
when we were SICK and she toiled for us until |
her strength gave OUT What then, was it |
that gave her compOsure in the last hourl /
DO not hide 1t. BE frank and let me know. |
'Oh," you say, lit was because she was so /
good. She made the Lord her portion, and |
she had faith that she would go straight to |
glory, and that we should ali meet her at last |
at the foot of the throne.n
Here are people who say: II saw a Chris |
tian brother die, and he triumphedn And |
some one else: IL saw Christian sister die, !
and she triumphedn Some one else will saw: /
Il saw Christian daughter die and she !
tlunphed" Come, all ye who have seen /
the last moments of n Christian and give
testimony in this cause on trial Uncover /
your heads, put your hand on the old family |
Bible from which they used 10 read the /
promises, and promise in the presence OF |
hlgh heaven that you will tell the truth the |
whole truth, and nothing but the truth |
win what you have seen with your
own eyes, and from what you have /
heard WlJn your own ears, is there power in |
n fsuiff
the last eNigency The response comes from
al sides, from young, and old, and middle /
aSet " We are witnesses -
You see, my friends have not put before |
you an abstraction, or a chimera, or anything /
ike guess work. present you afiidavits OF |
tue best men and women, living and dead /
! Wo witnesses In court viii establish a fact.
here are not two witnesses but Thousands of .
Wltnesses-On earth millions Of witnesses and /
IN heaven great multitude OF witnesses that /
no man can number, testifying that there Is |
power I'M this religion 20 convert the soul to /
give comfort in trouble, and to afford com /
posure i'm the last hour.
u ten men should come to Won when you
are sick with appalling sickness, and say /
they had the same sickness, and took a 7
certain medicine, and 1T cured them, you /
would probably take It. Now. suppose ten /
other men should come up and say: We /
don't believe there is anything in that mCdi- /
cine. @Weil, l say: have YOU ever tried itf' |
"NO. never tried it, but don't believe .
III.
credit their testimony. The skeptic may /
come and say: There IS no power i'm your /
relgionm Have your ever tried itln INC, /
mo- Then avauntw Let me take the tos- /
timony Of the millions Of souls that have d, en- /
conve It'd to God and comiOrted i'm trial and .
sola'cd In the last hour We viii take their 4
ties. mony as they cry; eve IRE witne.sesw /
Some time ago Prof Henry, Of Washing
ton, discovered new star, and the tdngs /
spell by submarine telegraph and all tho .
ObsorvatOrigs were watching for that \
new star Oh, hearer; looking out through /
the darkness Of your soul, canst thou /
see bright light beaming on theei "WbereF I.
you say, "Where, How can J fin I itW Look /
along by the line OF the cross OF the Son Of /
Col. DO you not see IL trembling with all /.
tenderness and beaming with oil hOpcf 10 Is I
the Star Of Bethlehem.
Deep horror ihcn my yitais fr0ze
Death strnCk ceased .h1 tide 90 stem,
When suddenly siar arose
TO was tbe Star Oi Bethlehem.
IL is onsier for you all TO- become Christians
than 10 is to stay away from Christ and heaven /
When Nine sOntag began her mucical career
she was Missed of the stage az Vienna by the /
friends NJ her rival. Amelia Steiniuger, who /
had already begun 10 decline through her
dissipation Years passed on, and one day
Nine Hotag. in her glory, was riding
Through ODE streets of Berlin, when she saw "a .
little child leading blind woman, and sine